Originally I listened to this in a purely ironic way. But somehow, the mellow music infiltrated my soul. After a while, I stopped playing it only when I wanted to play Halo with people and have something funny in the background as I shot gunned people in the face. Instead, I realize how good of an album this actually is.
That hip Brazilian coolness is on fully display here. Beginning with the one of the most understated openings ever “Wave” it segues perfectly into “The Red Blouse”. For a while, The Red Blouse was my happy song. I’d play it and its quiet cheerfulness entered my head. Surprisingly energetic for Bossa Nova, with some of Antonio’s excellent guitar playing on full display. Due to its length, it gives off a hypnotic quality with the slight variations.
Violins play throughout the whole affair, often as something coming from afar. Yes, I can see how this could turn off some people, since it could be seen as mere waiting room music, but it is waiting room music with a soul. If I had this playing on a lite FM radio station as my teeth were cleaned, I could think of worse things. The worst things being Billy Joel, Dave Matthews Band, and anything else played at lame parties.
In fact, there’s only one vocal track on here, and it is Brazilian singing. For whatever reason, I enjoy it. Hopefully at some point Bossa Nova gets some sort of resurgence in popularity. Then I can play my favorite song on here “Antigua” and have people recognize it, instead of looking at me like I’m half-crazy.
Actually, if I had to suggest a starting point for someone getting introduced to Bossa Nova, it would be a toss-up between this album and Stan Getz’s better known “Getz/Gilberto”.